Plane lands on beach in Sarasota County, Florida, killing man, daughter dies from her injuries

Joe Sterling and Mariano Castillo, CNN

12:12 AM, Jul 28, 2014

1:17 PM, Jul 29, 2014

One dead, one critical after emergency landing in Sarasota County

WPTV

Irizarry family

Sarasota officials say a small plane crashed into the water off the off the coast near Venice Beach.

Sarasota County Sheriff's Office

MIAMI (CNN) -- The 9-year-old girl critically injured when an airplane struck her on a Florida beach last weekend has died, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.

The girl, Oceana Irizarry, and her father, Ommy Irizarry, 36, of Georgia were both struck Sunday afternoon by a plane making an emergency landing, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The father died at the scene, and the girl was rushed to a hospital.

The pilot, Karl Kokomoor, and his passenger, David Theen, were uninjured. Both are from Englewood, Florida.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are also investigating.

On the same day he died, Ommy Irizarry had posted a love message on Facebook to his wife, as they were celebrating their ninth wedding anniversary.

"Thank you for being with me through thick and thin. I love you with all my heart, mi Roma. I am very happy and can't wait to see what the next 100 have in store for us," Irizarry wrote.

According to his Facebook page, Irizarry was originally from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. He was an Army Sgt. 1st Class stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia.

He was a platoon sergeant assigned to Fort Stewart's Warrior Transition Battalion, the Army said. He twice deployed to Iraq since joining the Army in 2002.

"This is a heart-wrenching situation, especially losing loved ones while on vacation to celebrate a family milestone," said Maj. Gen. Mike Murray, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division and Stewart-Hunter. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Irizarry family."

The pilot, Kokomoor, is president and CEO of DMK Associates, an engineering firm with offices in Englewood and Venice, Florida.

A note on the company's website states that Kokomoor was piloting the small plane when it lost power. The message expresses condolences to the Irizarry family, and says Kokomoor is cooperating with the FAA's investigation into the incident.

The following statement was issued by the Irizarry and Power families:

July 29, 2014 - Our precious Oceana has joined her daddy in heaven. She was nine years old. Oceana was a beautiful, intelligent and kind-hearted little girl. She was a natural artist who loved to learn. She was looking forward to the 4th grade. Ommy, a Sergeant First Class in the Army, was a beloved husband, father, son, brother, friend and soldier. He lit up the room whenever he entered and was devoted to his family. There are no words to describe the suffering we are experiencing. Their loss is devastating to our family and to everyone who knew them. Thank you to our many loved ones, friends and strangers for your outpouring of love and prayers. Although they are gone, Ommy and Oceana live on through organ donation. Forever, they will be in our hearts. To all of those who helped us on the beach and medical personnel, thank you for your efforts to save them. We will always be grateful to All Children's Hospital for your skilled and loving care of Oceana and our family.